The court said the 16th Century monument was one of the seven wonders of the world, and should be preserved.

The Supreme Court on dismissed a petition challenging an order that barred non-residents of Agra from offering prayers at the mosque inside the Taj Mahal complex on Fridays, reported PTI.

The court said the 16th Century monument was one of the seven wonders of the world, and should be preserved. “Why for such prayers they should go to the Taj Mahal?” asked the bench of Justices A Sikri and Ashok Bhushan. “There are other mosques also. They can offer their prayers there.”

On January 24, the Agra additional district magistrate had barred non-residents of the city from offering prayers at the mosque citing security reasons. Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi, the president of Taj Mahal Masjid Management Committee, challenged the order in the Supreme Court, calling it illegal and arbitrary.

Corrections and clarifications:The headline of the story has been updated to reflect that only non-residents of Agra have been barred from praying inside the Taj Mahal complex.